Forgotten Time
by Freyja SilverWillow
Summary: Some say time heals all wounds. Whoever said that couldn't feel its flow and could forget easily, like the ocean...
1. Nightingale

Greetings once again! I realize that I do in fact, have two other unfinished stories out there. This is me saying, I AM going to finish them. They're fairly close to being done, too. Anyways, this story's based on the second season premiere episode again. It's one of my favorites and...I can't help it. Nightwing was just impressive. He could be a rock star (don't ask)! Anyways, big, huge thanks to Rain-chan on this, and enjoy reading!

"Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come." -Matt Groening  
  
**Disclaimer**: I du nut oovn zee Teee Teetuns. Um gesh dee bork, bork!

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A dark figure ran over the rooftops of the city, silhouetted by the cold twilight. Under his feet, the snow crunched, the only thing that made a sound as he ran. The chilling temperature of the air around him drew no smoky breath from him, which was strange, for the black, skintight clothing he wore couldn't possibly keep the cold out.

Slowing to a stop on one of the rooftops, the man gazed out over the dark sea, crashing peacefully on the shore. Closing his eyes, he shut out the image before him, the broken glass that distorted the building on a lone island, shambles of a time he long since left behind and wished he could forget.

'_They say the Pacific has no memory...'_

_One could say it was her fault. But every time he tried to blame her, all that came after was 'If I had only been a second faster...' No matter what he did, it was and always would be his fault. That night, back in the tower, he locked himself into his room and cried bitterly. How could it have happened? Embarrassed by his actions even in his solitude, he tried to stop and wipe the tears from his face, but they came regardless. It was finally sinking in. She was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. That thought only made the tears come faster. The strong, steadfast leader of the Titans was sobbing, one could say like a child. But children wailed and screamed; their cries didn't come as slow, painful sobs that rendered one helpless, unable to stand._

_Eventually, he grew to accept it, but with that acceptance came pain and numbness. His mask hid his pain, still managing to at least play the leader of the group. Something was happening, however. Fighting grew more insistent between the Titans, until few words were exchanged at all. Had it been any time in the past, their fearless leader would have brought them back together with some well-placed words of wisdom. All human-like emotion had been sucked from him, first happiness, then sadness, and whatever fear he had. Only anger and pain were left behind._

_He didn't to pretend to understand. In fact, he just didn't care anymore._

_Finally, a day dawned where no one could find their leader in the tower. It appeared he had taken his communicator with him, but all attempts to call him on it were met with silence. If he had wanted to be found, someone would have known he left in the first place. After the third day he didn't return, they realized he wouldn't be coming back. No more was said, and the remaining Titans drifted apart._

_Taking his anger and pain out on anyone that dared to threaten the city was his only actual outlet. He refused to cry again. The days that spanned before he became vigilant at night were long and tedious. She loved the day once, drew her power from the sun, even. It reminded him of her painfully. At times he would wake up, half expecting to hear her voice through the halls of the tower, only to be greeted by the soundless echoes of his cave and the grinding gears. Other times, he would start, waking up after yet another nightmare, most twisting the events of that fateful day so she cried out to him, but he couldn't move, and was forced to watch her be swallowed by darkness. More often than not he realized he had been crying while he had been dreaming. He refused to sleep now, and when he did, it was never longer than an hour. Not long enough to dream. Never again, if he could._

_Forgetting her was useless, try as he might, and he missed her so much he almost thought he was going insane. Maybe already was, he wouldn't be the first Titan to travel that particular path. Crowds became something akin to a phobia to him; every redhead he saw could be her, every voice was hers, and every laugh had her lilt. So he locked himself away, coming out only to protect and watch the city from the shadows._

_Gods, how he missed her. If only he had figured out sooner that he loved her..._

A series of explosions somewhere in the city behind him pulled him gratefully from his dark thoughts. He allowed himself no more time for thought as he ran back over the rooftops, snow once again the only sound to accompany his passage. His thoughts floated away, like the dregs of a bad dream after waking, leaving only hints and traces of what had once been there. As he neared the scene, the voices mingled, angry versus calm, one male, one female. Both seemed eerily familiar. Echoes of the past...

Sliding to a stop at the edge of the rooftop, overlooking the street, he began to assess what was happening before his mind went blank, and the outside cold finally managed to grip him in its fist.

_It can't be._

Angry words fired from the red-haired girl below on the street as she gripped a circular object in one hand, growing even angrier at the words spoken by the black-and-gold themed Warp. Bright green light surrounded one of her hands as she took a stance, clearly challenging the villain confronting her.

Upon the rooftop, the dark figure was in danger of taking a plunge to the snowy pavement below. To compensate for his shaky legs, he fell to one knee, gripping the snow between his hands. Only one question ran though his mind: _How?_

Suddenly, the green light died as Warp took the object from her. What was going on? She wasn't giving up, was she? What had been said? The familiar emotion of anger flooded the dark man on the roof. Standing, he took a swan dive off the roof, aiming for Warp, who was now speaking to the girl.

"Past, present and future. They're all written in stone, and nothing you do can ever change it." Mere seconds later, the man in black crashed into Warp, sending them to the ground. Put into automatic as they fought, Nightwing's mind whirred with thoughts, none of them making much sense.

_Sick games... Starfire... not gonna lose her again... kill the bastard... he has to pay... all WARP'S fault... he attacked us that night... he caused this... I'll nail his coffin shut..._

Fed up with fighting, Warp pressed a button on his suit, causing a blue circle of light to appear beneath his feet as Nightwing leapt at him. "Another time, perhaps." Warp sank into the ground and faded away. The sound of a fist meeting cold ground echoed through the shallow back alley.

Silence drifted, the only other sound being footsteps. Straightening suddenly, he turned around. No smile, no widening of eyes, nothing, it being so long since he..._felt_ this...light. "It's good to see you again."

Confusion, amazement and wonder laced Starfire's voice. "Robin?"

"I haven't used that name in a long time." Pulling out of the shadows and into the light of the streetlamp, he continued. "Call me Nightwing."

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I have no idea whether or not I'm going to continue this. It really depends on what the you the reviewers think, how I feel, and how well my beta reader can nag. ;) Really, I'm just running extremely low on ideas at this point. Later days!


	2. Black and White

Well, after helping my friend Rain-chan (CrazyGirl47) with her Harry Potter story, _The Prank War_ for awhile (go read it!!), I got an urge to pick up one of my old stories and maybe...I dunno, FINISH them. Not to mention I'm unspeakably annoyed that they won't show any more new Teen Titans until January! Why can't they just finish the third season?! Why?! ... Anyways, as I not-so-really promised, here's a second installment for _Forgotten Time._ One of these days, I WILL make the chapters longer. Another note, they're in NO WAY placed chronologically, it was just whichever one I decided to write at the time. It doesn't continue with Nightwing, but moves on instead to other Titans with each new installment. Enjoy!

"The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep" -E. Joseph Cossman

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White filled every corner of vision. Past and present blended together sharply, all other colors faded out into one. Up became down, right became wrong, calm became panic. 

_Never coming back…_

Silence ebbed, echoing off the titanium walls and dancing through the air. It was so quiet. Even since Rage had been exorcised, it was so quiet. That could be dealt with. But it was so quiet here. Surrounding walls seemed to make it worse, like someone was turning the volume up on the deadness around her.

_It has to go away._

Why did they all have to leave? She could have handled the loss of on friend, but when two others disappeared, she followed the act. But Rage was swimming to the surface more and more, forcing her to retrace her steps back to where she was born, back…to gain help, to rid herself of the root that Rage was mired in.

_Never coming back!_

They all left. Her mother, her guide, her friends…they all left. And she had done the same. But she had frightened him with Rage, and saw it fit to lock herself away. What good was being around others if they just left?

_Never coming back, go away!_

Sunlight hurt her eyes. Sunlight, the very rays of the sun brought all kinds of pain. The night hurt her eyes, the shadows holding dregs of her past. She was no longer a part of the shadow. Couldn't be. Shadows were in the past, and the sun was too bright.

_It has to go away…_

White served its purpose, contrasting how mottled black everything in her head had become. Perhaps she was hoping it would create a gray area so she could continue to live. Why bother anyways, no one was there to care if she ever stepped foot outside this forsaken room.

_Just like before._

Emotions were dangerous. Friends were dangerous. Anything that promoted any feelings were dangerous. Loneliness, there was a certain dark pride attached to it. Survive it, and you can tell people that you don't need anyone. But it has a certain way of eating at you, day by day. Wondering why people allow you to feel this way, why you allow yourself to feel this way. Truth was, most just don't care.

_It has to go away…_

It was possibly the only gray area left in her life. Everything else was so unnaturally black and white. People come and people go, seasons change, the sun eventually sets. She wasn't ready for any of it. A creature of the shadow, something even the strangest being feared…who could no longer live in the shadows because of that same fear. She was a freak…

_Just like all the others…_

A red light penetrated her vision, causing her to blink and focus. Disbelief clouding her mind as she lifted a hand to touch her cloak's clasp, beeping quietly and blinking in unison. Her fingers closed around the cool half sphere, and with sudden clarity, she realize it was real. Mind racing, she looked for something to connect it to.

_Friends.  
_  
She shook her head. She had no friends, not anymore. The red light continued to flash.

_Family._

Again, she shook her head. She couldn't recall the meaning of the word. Still, the light flashed. Watching it for a few more moments, another thought snuck in.

_Who else would call on you?_

Raven's hand tightened on her clasp.

_My…friends…need me…_


End file.
